how much $$ to bring?

I'm hoping to move to the UK next year.  I will be staying w/ family for a few months until I get settled in.  I will also be using an Irish Passport. (my mom is from Ireland)

I'm 30 year childless, single female with 2 cats. (not sure about bringing the cats now though)  How much money should I bring?  Other than "as much as possible" any real numbers?  $5000 to little?  That will only change to about 2500 pounds.  When you say it like that, it doesn't seem like much!

I'm sure there are loads of places when I can find a roommate and split the flat.  I don't see me affording a place on my own.  I'm not a professional, no college degree. 

Any help would be great!  Thanks!

Erin
Louisiana

I had a job lined up but wasn't going to be paid until about 2 months after I arrived...and I needed to pay for places to stay, food, etc.  I had about £4000 for that time...didn't use it all (in fact paid my dad back almost half of that).  I would say that $5000, especially if you are living with family for a while, should be fine...as long as you can get a job within a decent period of time.

i agree, a roomate will be key to split the deposit with!!!  depending on where you live, that can be huge! 

that sounds like an OK number to me

You don't really have to bring a lot of cash.  You can keep your money in a US bank, then take it out of an ATM in the UK whenever you need it .  All you really need is money for the ride from the airport to home, plus maybe a little bit of spending money for a couple of days. 
 
Personally, I don't like having wads of loose cash around, but that's just me.

edit: I was assuming that all you have to bring is about $5000. If you've got much more in savings, do a search on topics regarding transferring a large amount of money from the US to the UK.